A Cornish father who has suffered with debilitating disease for much of his life has launched a desperate appeal to secure his dream job and prove to others fighting a chronic illness that "anything is possible".

Andy Jenkin, 31, is currently working three jobs just so he can pay the bills and provide for his family, including his two children, his step-daughter and partner Abi.

He grew up in Penzance and has had bowel issues since a very young age, spending a lot of time in and out of hospital, though his problems went undiagnosed until later life.

The keen football referee’s battles with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Crohn’s disease has driven him to dark depression in the past and even drove him to attempt to take his own life. Now he’s looking to the future and is keen to show everyone, especially those going through a similar ordeal, that there is always hope.

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“My bloods would never show anything was wrong and always came back OK,” he told Cornwall Live. “After leaving school I wanted to join the British Army, which I did but I left during training for personal reasons. I was planning on going back to the Army but that never happened due to my health.

“In the end I had enough of the doctor saying there is nothing wrong with me. The pain became that bad one afternoon, when I was living with my grandparents, I called the doctors' surgery and asked to see a doctor but not the GP I had been seeing most of my life.

Crohn's Disease sufferer Andy Jenkin has dreams of one day becoming a paramedic

“My grandfather had drove me to the doctors. I was so scared as the pain was that bad I didn't know why it could be and I knew that the pain I had been having most of my life wasn't all in my head as the GP had been saying.”

Andy, who now lives in Truro, was later admitted to West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance and discovered, following a colonoscopy, that he had Crohn’s disease.

“I was happy to finally know what was wrong with me and so treatment could start but I was wrong, the doctor said to me I need surgery,” he added. “He told me that he wanted to try and make me a bit better before taking me into theatre and so surgery was booked.

“I didn't know anything about Crohn's disease and so the specialist pointed me in the direction of the NACC which is now Crohn's and Colitis UK. Crohn's and Colitis UK were amazing to me and provided me with information about the disease, about what to expect in surgery, what treatments are available, etc.

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“I didn't realise just how much of an effect this would have on my life.”

After surgery he began to feel better and managed to return to work and got back to playing football again, a big part of his life. Unfortunately this was short-lived and over the next couple of years he was still being admitted to hospital regularly, while also welcoming his two newborn children – Summer, now 7, and Issac, now 3.

In February 2015 he split up with his wife and ended up staying on a friend’s sofa until he found somewhere else to live, despite his illness, so as not to make his children homeless.

His Crohn's disease continued to worsen and one day, when visiting a friend on the surgical ward at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, his pain got so bad he started to be sick. He was seen by a doctor and eventually had stoma surgery.

Andy Jenkin with his children Isaac and Summer and partner Abi

After a while he again returned back to work, though had decided to retire from playing football due to a fear of blows to his stomach. He then applied to become a referee and has finally, despite his illness, been able to complete training and become a level seven referee.

“I have always tried to make sure my illness doesn't control me,” he added. “But at times it does.

“Since my teenage years I have battled depression due to my health. It was all started when my GP wasn't listening to me and saying it was all in my head and over time this got me down. I tried to hide things from people but people close to me knew I struggled at times.”

One evening in December 2006 a depressed Andy got very drunk and ended up taking an overdose. Fortunately his cousins and friends worked out something was wrong and called the police and ambulance service. He doesn’t remember much else from that night apart from a door being kicked in and waking up in an intensive care unit.

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“I was in such a bad place back then and have still fought depression over the years with the help of doctors, medication and counselling. I found ways of dealing with it and coping," he said. “That was the one and only time I have been that low and since that day I have fought depression but now I have ways of coping for example, not bottling things up.

“When I am down I write things down. I have a cry and I think of my two children and fight on.

Despite still having ‘down days’ Andy says the birth of his daughter gave him “a reason to fight on” and will never let things get so bad as I did all those years ago.

That being said Andy is keen to emphasise that, even though someone suffering from IBD may have an amazing support group, the disease can make the sufferer feel very, very lonely.

What is it like to live with Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD)

Crohn's Disease sufferer, Andy Jenkin, from Truro explains in his own words:

"IBD is much more than what a lot of people think it is. It's much more than a 'pooing disease'. The pain is unbearable at times, you get tired quickly, you could visit the toilet 15-20+ times a day, you can get depression plus a number of other things.

"Then there are the side effects of the medications we take to try and keep our IBD in remission, or as symptom free as possible. It's often treated with steroids which causes a number of issues including weight gain and mood swings, which when you are already depressed isn't good at all.

"We have a number of hospital admissions for treatment like infusions or tests like MRI scans or colonoscopies. Then because of IBD it can cause other problems like low iron and B12 plus many more. Your social life becomes nonexistent due to constantly changing or cancelling plans, you can't do simple things with your children without it causing more problems later that day.

"So next time you think someone with IBD is being lazy because they can't get out of bed or fall asleep on the sofa just remember they are battling there own bodies each day and then having to take a number of medications that cause more issues.

"In the worse cases they need surgery to remove some of all of there bowel so they have a bag which are a lot better than they used to be but they still have there own issues for example, the bag could leak or burst, or the area where the bag is attached to the skin can get very sore plus many more issues.

"If you don't know about IBD please just ask one of us about it and most people would be more than happy to tell you about the disease. Don't judge people and don't say things like 'I have a friend with that and they can do something that you can't' or 'I know how you feel because I have IBS' as IBS is completely different.

"Also don't say things like 'my friend got cured of IBD by changing their diet' - there is no cure for IBD."

“When you’re up most of the night crying in pain when the painkillers aren't working, when you can't sleep because too much going around in your head or the pain is keeping you awake or running to the bathroom all night,” he added.

“My family and friends have been amazing throughout my battle with IBD and I would be lost without them so a support network is a massive help. What I have that also found helps for depression or feeling low or can't sleep due to the symptoms of IBD is the number of support groups that have been set up on Facebook.

“I have made a number of friends through these pages who I talk to regularly and we organise get-togethers as much as possible.”

Recently, when working as a security officer, Andy was advised to start training to become an ambulance care assistant, as the company also employed people for that job and security work often decreases over the winter months.

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“I told them I couldn't afford to retrain and so they made an agreement that they would cover the cost and pay it back out of my wages," he said. "I never for one minute growing up thought I would be working on an ambulance but when I started I loved the job. I don't do frontline ambulance work. It’s moving patients all over the UK.

The ambulances Andy currently drives are smaller than the ones used on the frontline, which means he would need to secure a C1 class driving licence before he can even apply for the job.

Cornish Crohn's sufferer and Manchester United fan, Andy Jenkin, with ex Manchester United player and Scotland captain, Darren Fletcher. Darren, Andy's favourite United player, saw his career nearly ended due to Colitis.

“If I get a job with the ambulance service then they will cover the costs of my medical training and also my advance driver training otherwise known as blue light training," he saiid. “To complete my C1 class driving it's going to cost roughly £1,000 after I have done the theory and hazard perception, had a medical and then three days training and then the test.”

Andy says he has been saving for this but has struggled to do so while also paying bills and supporting a family on a low income.

“I am trying to show people that even if you have a chronic illness like I do, it's not the end of your career dreams,” he added.

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“I know everyone is different but I don't want this illness to stop me doing the things I love like getting my dream job working on front line ambulances or getting as high up the referee ladder I as can.

“The refereeing will be health-dependent as I have to undergo fitness tests. The only thing holding me back from my dream job currently is getting the minimum of C1 driving licence so I can apply to the ambulance service for a job.”

Andy has applied for a variety of grants but is unsure whether he will be successful. Abi, his current partner and mother to his six-year-old step-daughter Olivia, has also set up a Crowdfunding Page to 'Help Andy Achieve his Dreams'.

She said: “Andy's Crohn’s disease is a major factor in his life but he still does what he can and is currently working three jobs just so can pay bills and save to do the courses.

Andy Jenkin also has a passion for refereeing in Cornwall

“I want to help my partner achieve his career dreams and work on front line ambulances and then maybe one day go to university and study to become a paramedic, as this ECA or AAP role allows Andy to apply after so long in the job and not need other qualifications which will help due to lack of GCSEs.

“If you could help out in anyway then that would be amazing and please keep sharing around the world and help an IBD warrior achieve their career dreams and care for the sick and work alongside the people that help or save us and loved ones each day.”

Andy will continue to fight his own body every day and work around the clock for his family but is optimistic for the future.

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For this Cornish father-of-two anything now seems possible and, as ever, he wants to show that he is no different to anyone else suffering from a chronic illness.

“So what I'm trying to say is don't give up on your dreams,” he added. “There may be hurdles in the way but it will be worth it when you get what you want.

“Maybe one day you may see me on the TV refereeing. Joking, I would love to but it depends if physically fit enough to pass fitness tests the higher I go. Don't let a chronic illness stop your dreams coming true. May take longer but you will get there.”

Full details about Andy's Crowdfunder goal can be found at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/andyeca1